Persian Culture and its Effects on Modern IranBy Annie Harincar
Persia’s empire originally spanned over what is now Iran, and the two cultures, ancient and modern, seem to have many similarities and differences. The Persian people valued celebrations and over-indulgence, whereas the Iranian people believe strongly in modesty, self-restraint, and sacrifice. But one can see the affect that Persia had in Iran’s beautiful, patterned artwork. The everlasting reign of the beautiful Persian rugs in Iranian culture proves that Persia created some things that will never die. And, the combination of the rich colors and silky feel of Persian rugs means that they are in high demand around the world, not just in Iran. But indulgence and rugs are not the only things that are meaningful in Persian culture. One of the most important aspects of
King Xerxes
Persian life was their belief in complete and total honesty. The lie, or druj, is considered a cardinal sin and was even punishable by death in some extreme cases. Kings wrote about their constant struggle against the lie and the awful consequences it had. King Xerxes wrote, "Thou who shalt be king hereafter, protect yourself vigorously from the Lie; the man who shall be a lie-follower, him do thou punish well, if thus thou shall think. May my country be secure!" Obviously, the Persian people deeply respected the truth and held it in the highest regard.
Strangely, though, that tradition has not seemed to carry down to the modern Islamic religion. The core of Islam is the Five Pillars of Islam, named because they are five simple rules that apply to all Muslim people. The Five Pillars are: belief in one god (Allah) and the prophet Muhammad; daily prayer; concern and care for the needy; self-purification through fasting; and the pilgrimage to Makkah if able. Unlike the Persian laws and beliefs, honesty and truth do not seem to take the limelight in modern Iran.
I seem to be searching for similarities and finding more and more differences between these two cultures. It's baffling, to say the least, that the cultures that overlapped each other can have so few things in common. But I believe that common assumptions like that can lead to all sort of issues, even though them might not seem that drastic. For example, in 1979 after the Shah was expelled and Khomeni was placed in power, the revolution was renamed the "Islamic Revolution" and Iran became an Islamic Republic. Now, it was true that most of Iran was Islamic and many people practiced the religion, but forcing everyone to follow its rules was unfair. Just as I assumed that Persia would've had a bigger affect on Iran, Iran's government assumed that, since Islam was such a big part of Iran, everyone would be content with following its rules.Obviously, the Iranian government was mistaken. Citizen began to protest the Islamic
laws that were placed on them. People were unhappy and rebellious, and so the government was forced to make up statistics to try and placate their people.
Persia’s empire originally spanned over what is now Iran, and the two cultures, ancient and modern, seem to have many similarities and differences. The Persian people valued celebrations and over-indulgence, whereas the Iranian people believe strongly in modesty, self-restraint, and sacrifice. But one can see the affect that Persia had in Iran’s beautiful, patterned artwork. The everlasting reign of the beautiful Persian rugs in Iranian culture proves that Persia created some things that will never die. And, the combination of the rich colors and silky feel of Persian rugs means that they are in high demand around the world, not just in Iran.
But indulgence and rugs are not the only things that are meaningful in Persian culture. One of the most important aspects of
Strangely, though, that tradition has not seemed to carry down to the modern Islamic religion. The core of Islam is the Five Pillars of Islam, named because they are five simple rules that apply to all Muslim people. The Five Pillars are: belief in one god (Allah) and the prophet Muhammad; daily prayer; concern and care for the needy; self-purification through fasting; and the pilgrimage to Makkah if able. Unlike the Persian laws and beliefs, honesty and truth do not seem to take the limelight in modern Iran.
I seem to be searching for similarities and finding more and more differences between these two cultures. It's baffling, to say the least, that the cultures that overlapped each other can have so few things in common. But I believe that common assumptions like that can lead to all sort of issues, even though them might not seem that drastic. For example, in 1979 after the Shah was expelled and Khomeni was placed in power, the revolution was renamed the "Islamic Revolution" and Iran became an Islamic Republic. Now, it was true that most of Iran was Islamic and many people practiced the religion, but forcing everyone to follow its rules was unfair. Just as I assumed that Persia would've had a bigger affect on Iran, Iran's government assumed that, since Islam was such a big part of Iran, everyone would be content with following its rules.Obviously, the Iranian government was mistaken. Citizen began to protest the Islamic
laws that were placed on them. People were unhappy and rebellious, and so the government was forced to make up statistics to try and placate their people.
So, maybe one might think that assuming things even as small as the affect one culture might have on another is just as dangerous as assuming that everyone agrees with the majority.
Sources:
__http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/acha/hd_acha.htm__
__http://www.parstimes.com/library/brief_history_of_persian_empire.html__
__http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Iran.html#b__
__http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/herodotus-persians.asp__
__http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/iran/Customs-in-Iran/113__